Fracture treatments for older women often fail to detect osteoporosis, the debilitating condition that results in brittle bones
According to a study published in the December 2003 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, treatments of fractures in older women often do not follow the clinical guidelines for treating osteoporosis.

"These guidelines suggest that older women with fragility fractures should either be treated for clinically apparent osteoporosis or they should have bone mineral density measurements, followed by treatment when appropriate," wrote Dr. Adrianne C. Feldstein, a preventive medicine physician.

Feldstein added that less than 50 percent of women in the study population received a bone-mineral-density measurement or medication to help treat their condition.
Women make up 68 percent of the 44million U.S. citizens suffering from the threat of osteoporosis, according to the National Institutes of Health. According to the study, a woman's lifetime risk of sustaining an osteoporotic fracture is 50 percent. "Every patient who has had a low-energy fracture should consider, "I broke a bone. Maybe I have weak bones. I need to discuss this possibility with my physician," said Feldstein.

Osteoporosis Awareness and Action Campaign Suggests Messages for Promoting Change
Last fall, as part of the Osteoporosis Awareness and Action Campaign grant funded by the Administration on Aging, (AoA), UMaine Center on Aging staff coordinated focus groups around the country to gain a better understanding of where elder women most often get health information. The program intends to inform women about osteoporosis and help them take action to prevent it in their lives. The project, under the supervision of Program Coordinator Marjie Harris, LCSW, conducted focus groups with one hundred and forty seven older women from five states. The women were of varied ethnic and geographic backgrounds, with an average age of seventy-one.

Interestingly, there were no major differences in answers among the groups. Women most often turn to their doctors and other health professionals for health-related information. Publications were frequently mentioned as well, with Prevention magazine names as a particularly important source. Television also emerged as a major source of health information. A segment of participants relied on the internet a great deal, but the majority did not use it at all.

The women in the study had difficulty identifying unreliable resources, according to Harris. In fact, she explained, "one woman asked why we would ask the question, feeling that all information she was given was accurate. This is a generation that generally does not question their doctors, and this apparently carries over to health care information in general."

"It appears from the data collected that fear (of disease) is a motivation for women to change health behavior. Family plays a big role as well, in a variety of way," said Harris. "Not only are women pressured by family to take care of their health, but women seek to be healthier to live longer in order to see grandchildren grow up or to keep from being a 'burden' to their families." A significant number of the women identified the greatest motivation coming from a lifelong consciousness towards maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

(Source: Fall/Winter 2003-04, Silver Wire, University of Maine, Center on Aging.)

Icelandic team finds gene for osteoporosis
A gene linked to osteoporosis has been identified by DeCode Genetics, an Icelandic company that is seeking to find the genes that underlie common human diseases.
People with any of three specific variants of the gene have a threefold risk of developing the disease, which is characterized by brittle bones. A test for the variant forms of the gene is being developed by Roche Diagnostics and will be available in medical laboratories early next year, said Dr. Kari Stefansson, chief executive of DeCode. A positive result from the one-time test would disclose the increased risk and the need for preventive measures such as a high-calcium diet and exercise, Stefansson said.

Although other genes have been linked to osteoporosis, results vary from one group of people to another. The new gene could be the first consistent contributor to the disease if its link, found in three populations, proves to held worldwide. The finding is being published in the new online journal Public Library of Science. Osteoporosis is an increasingly common disease as the population ages. It affects both sexes but particularly women after menopause. The DeCode team scanned the genomes of 207 Icelandic families with at least one member who had both low bone-mineral density and bone fractures. The DeCode team identified a gene on chromosome 20. The team found that three versions of the gene presented a particular risk for osteoporosis.

(Source: The Arizona Republic, Nov. 3, 2003)

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